Category: General ramblings

So the Lake District seemed to be a bit of a haven of locally made produce, and I did buy rather a lot of goodies.

From Lakeland I bought some extracts for baking (peppermint, orange and rose), gorgeous mango licorice, a big tub of honey munchy seeds and another lunch cup (the pink thing- I have one which I use all the time for lunches as it can hold a salad, but the lid has a tab to pop open so if I heat something in the work microwave I don’t have to worry about anything).

I have been enjoying the seeds this week-  I bought some Alpro creamy yoghurts (which are so tasty) and had one with British strawberries (hooray- strawberry season is nearly here) and topped with seeds- so good.

I bought some jams- sweet cherry and strawberry with elderflower (thought that sounded really different), some cardamom and star anise, little beond bars and of course when I saw the chocolate marzipan I could not resist!

I also bought some gorgeous sticky toffee chocolates, a jar of chocolate orange curd (just want to try it) and a little pack of mini jars including Christmas jam and sticky toffee sauce.

I also bought my mum quite a few goodies, but I have kept them all wrapped up.

Both the B&B’s we stayed in used Pure Lakes toiletries including hand-wash, moisturiser, shampoo, shower gel and shower mousse (places that have big bottles that they refill always get bonus points from me too- the little bottles or new packets of soap are such a waste)- the first place had a rose and geranium scent which was amazing- I found some of the range in the shops but not that scent, so I might treat myself at a later date.

That was the bonus of taking the car too- chuck it in the boot each time I bought something new, and no worries about luggage allowance!

Weekend plans? 

Hey peeps

I hope you are all well, and enjoying the Bank Holiday weekend- 4 days of bliss!

Sainsbury’s kindly sent me some Easter goodies to give me some ideas for a grown-up Easter weekend.

Those little Easter egglets didn’t last long- I loved the dark praline ones and Andy loved the white chocolate ones.  He also enjoyed the wine- it would be perfect for taking on a picnic as it is only a little bottle.

The carrot cake was delicious (not a great photo as it was on its side in the box!)- I love carrot cake and this did not disappoint. I loved the chunks of nuts on top of the icing.

The gluten free hot cross buns were delicious- I have had some gluten free bread before which has ended up with more of a cake like texture, but this was really good and I am not sure I would be able to tell the difference.

I also enjoyed the Taste the Difference hot cross buns, with golden raisins and cranberries. I love hot cross buns with toppings- so again one was with coconut butter and (home-made) blackcurrant jam, and the other with lemon curd.

They are great for breakfast or to go alongside a cup of tea.

I also have a few Easter treats- I was given this cute rabbit (I have already eaten the little carrots), and I bought for us to share these gorgeous peanut butter filled eggs by Montezuma’s. They are amazing, and almost too good to share!

If I was to have a little Easter picnic meal, I think I would have something simple and savoury to start like avocado on toast.

(Proof that I don’t just eat sweet things!)

This was avocado on seeded bread, with some tomatoes and a little fresh basil.

Or maybe some hummus- I made this using the recipe in my new Oh She Glows cookbook, and added in a little pesto. Very tasty.  Or a combination with hummus and avocado (matching my delicious waffle from last week)- yummy. Then it would be on to the chocolate- I have been saving the Easter egg for this!

If you have hot cross buns left, then I recommend making bread and butter pudding with them- we used to have a recipe card where you spread them with marmalade, cover with custard (you can make your own, or buy it fresh) and then bake. Very good indeed.

 What are you up to this Bank Holiday weekend?

I don’t often post about beauty buys, but I feel I have to share this with you guys because this one product in particular has actually revolutionised my hair.

I have very thick hair- I know a lot of people say this but I do think mine is crazily thick. I always have to have 2 people drying it when I go to get it cut. I would love to be able to plait my hair, but even if I have 2 plaits they are too fat to properly hold together. So of course these products that I love may not suit your hair.

First up, I love “I love juicy” shampoo by Lush. Smells like a fruity smoothie, gets rid of grease and sweat, and leaves hair shiny and soft.

I am a bit fickle with conditioners- at the moment I am using a Bath and Bodyworks one I picked up in the US last Easter (yes I hoard things like this too) but I love the Organix coconut one. I have never found a Lush conditioner that properly conditions by the way, and I have tried a fair few.

This is what has revolutionised my hair. I tend to wash my hair quite often, and I do like to use hair straighteners as otherwise I look rather 80’s. Plus I get kinks from ponytails. I have tried serums before but they leave me with greasy hair and having to wash it even more often, which just wastes my time. Catherine over at Running In My Wellies raved about this coconut serum before (again by Organix), and when I saw it on offer I had to try it. First up, it smells like coconuts. Surprise. But mainly it actually makes my hair better. I use it like this: I get out the shower, and put my hair in a towel. Then after washing my face (to give you an idea of the time) I put a blob of this in my hair, work it through a bit and then put my hair back in the towel. Then I get dressed, clean the shower, and then take my hair out the towel and tie it up with all sorts of bands and clips. Then later on I blow dry my hair. If I straighten it, I tend to do that the next morning so my hair is properly dry as a hair-dryer will never get it 100% (well it would, but I can’t be bothered to dry it for that long).

The serum, instead of making my hair greasy, seems to actually repel dirt and grease. I am not joking!

I have been trying to wash my hair less, as I was washing it every other day at least. But recently I have been using dry shampoo after some workouts. I always use this after body pump now, because I get back so late that I can’t be bothered to wash it. Sounds bad I know, but I am sure washing less is better for your hair. It is better for my stress levels!

One week I think I washed my hair on Saturday morning after a parkrun, and didn’t wash it again until the Wednesday night- on Tuesday I had a run but just used dry shampoo. I really should have written it down, but I am sure one week I only washed my hair twice. I also find that using the serum means I use less dry shampoo. My hair does get greasy at the roots, so one day I would wash my hair and in the morning it would be fine, but the next morning I would need to use dry shampoo. Now, I can leave it another day without using the dry shampoo. I was only partly joking about stress levels too- one day I had a big pile of marking, left work late and wanted to have a run. As I was driving home I just decided that I would not wash my hair- this means a quicker shower but also means I don’t have to spend ages drying it at night, and straightening it in the morning- less stress right there.

Can you tell how much I love this?

What hair products do you love? How often do you wash your hair?